Swim instructors tell Inside Edition that the monofin, which goes over both legs, can severely restrict movement.
An Instagram-worthy mermaid bathing suit that goes over kids’ legs, transforming their feet into fins, is causing some parents to worry whether they are safe to wear, as some families report watching their young children struggle and nearly drown when wearing the suit.
Adam Lisberg, a dad from New York, shared photos of his 5-year-old daughter Annabell wearing the monofin. He said his daughter nearly drowned.
She had been swimming in their small inflatable pool when she tucked her arms inside the costume, and somehow became stuck. The next thing he knew, Annabelle was lying on the ground next to the pool, not moving.
They rushed her to the hospital, where Annabelle ended up spending two days in the pediatric ICU. Fortunately, she has since made a full recovery.
Another mom shared a video of her own daughter struggling to come up for air while in the water while wearing her mermaid bathing suit. “Can you get up?” she is heard asking her daughter in the video. “OK, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
And Julia Cramer is an experienced 7-year-old swimmer, but even she struggled while wearing the bathing suit. Her parents say they are definitely concerned about the fun bathing suit’s safety.
Swimming instructor Kelli Stryker told Inside Edition that parents should be very cautious allowing their little ones to wear the mermaid suit.
“If they know how to swim, if they’re confident in the water, if they have taken swim lessons where they learned how to do a body dolphin, then it can definitely be something they can wear in the pool,” she said. “If they’re not strong swimmers, I would not actually have a child in the water wearing one of those.”
Stryker explained that drownings can happen in any pool environment. “Children can drown within one inch of water, no matter if it’s a baby pool or a small blow up pool, if the child ends up face down and can’t right themselves, then it can be dangerous,” she said.
